1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus, and in particular to a filter assembly installed inside the cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for filtering dust that has gone through centrifugal separation then discharging the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
The filter which is installed inside the cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus of a vacuum cleaner functions to filter the minute dust within air that is discharged into the cleaner main body. Generally, the dust filtered progressively collect on these filters and thus causes the inconvenience of periodic cleaning. Therefore, recently a filter cleaning device which works in connection with the opening and closing of a dust collecting container of a cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for removing dust on the outer surface of the filter has been suggested.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal view of a cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus installed with a conventional filter cleaning device, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the filter cleaning device of which was disclosed in the Japanese patent application no. 2002-315701. The cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus 1, as depicted in FIG. 1, is provided with a cyclone body 110 formed with an inlet port 111 and an outlet port 121, a dust collection container 103 removably coupled to the cyclone body 110, and a filter 130 which is installed on the outlet port 121 of the cyclone body 110 and arranged within the dust collection container 103.
The cyclone body 110 is provided with a container coupling 125 which forms the dust separation chamber 115, and a connection pipe 113 which is extended from the dust separation chamber 115 in an elbow form. In the dust separation chamber 115, an inlet port 111 opened outward in an oblique direction, and an outlet port 121 opened upward are provided. The inlet port 111 is in fluid communication with the interior of the connection pipe 113, and an inlet pipe 107 which has a dust inlet not shown of the vacuum cleaner is connected on the end of the connection pipe 113. On the outlet pipe 121, a flexible pipe 109 which is connected to the cleaner main body of the vacuum cleaner is coupled.
The container coupling 125 of the cyclone body 110 is opened downward and receives the cylinder-shaped dust collection container 103 which has an upward opening. A gasket 141 intervenes the outer surfaces of the openings between the container coupling 125 of the dust collection chamber 115 and the dust collection container 103 to maintain air-tightness. Meanwhile, the dust collection container 103 is provided with a hook 104 protruding from the bottom outer surface thereof to the connection pipe 113 of the cyclone body 11. On the outer surface of the connection pipe 113 which corresponds to the hook 104 there is formed a hook groove 114 and thus the hook 104 is able to be clamp-fastened into the hook groove 114 in the vertical direction.
As such, within the dust collection container 103 coupled on to the bottom of the dust collection chamber 115, a filter 130 which is connected to the outlet port 121 of the dust collection chamber 115 is accommodated. The filter 130 is cylindrical-shaped and opened upward, and a plurality of ventilation shafts is formed on the outer circumference. Also, on the outer surface of the ventilation shafts, a net 135 having numerous micro ventilation pores is installed. This net 135 functions to filter the minute dust included in the exhausted air.
Meanwhile, the conventional filter cleaning device 150 mounted on the cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus, as depicted in FIG. 2, is provided with a dust removal ring 151 which surrounds the outer surface of the filter 130, an elastic spring 155 elastically biasing the dust removal ring 151 downward, and a slider 161 and locking lever 171 which fastens the dust removal ring 155 on to the top of the filter 130. Between the connection pipe 113 of the cyclone body 110 and the dust collection container 103 a guide groove 157 is formed for the vertical sliding of the slider 161.
The slider 161 is extended bent downward from the outer surface of the dust removal ring 151, and is slide-ably received in the guide groove 157 in the vertical direction. This slider 161 is provided with a coupling protrusion 162 which is coupled to a protrusion groove, not shown, of the dust collection container 103, and through the activation of the coupling protrusion 162 and the protrusion groove, the dust collection container 103 is slide-able as a whole unit with the slider 161. Namely, by moving in conjunction with the sliding of the slider 161, the dust collection container 103 is removably coupled to the dust collection chamber 115. Also on the slider 161, on a longitudinal extension on one side thereof, a couple of locking grooves 165, 166 are engraved at an equal spacing.
Meanwhile, the locking lever 171 is provided with a locker 172 which functions with the locking grooves 165, 166 of the slider 161, and an operation section 174 which is operational by the user. This locking lever 171 rotates about a rotation shaft 176 installed in the guide groove 157 and couples the locker 172 to the locking grooves 165, 166 of the slider 161. For this, on the outside of the locking lever 171, a locker spring 181 which elastically biases the locker 172 to the locking grooves 165, 166 is installed.
Through the above configuration, in the cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus 100 provided with the conventional filter cleaning device 150, the dust collection container 103 may be separated by depressing the operation section 174. Then, the filter cleaning device 150 operates in conjunction with the separated dust collection container 103. Namely, when the locker lever 171 is rotated about the rotation shaft 176 by pressing the operation section 174 of the locking lever 171, the locker 172 is outwardly separated from the locker grooves 165, 166 of the slider 161. Here, the compressed elastic spring 155 possessing elastic force expands and separates the dust collection container 103 and at the same time, the dust removal ring 151 and the slider 161 slide downward.
Here, the downwardly moving dust removal ring 151 slides while sweeping the collected dust on the outer surface of the filter 130 and thereby the swept dust falls into the dust collection container 103 and is recollected. Then, the user releases the interlocking of the protrusion groove of the dust collection container 103 and the coupling protrusion 162 of the slider 161, and then may remove the waste and dust collected within the dust collection container 103. Meanwhile, the dust collection container 103 with the waste and dust removed, may be coupled to the container coupling 125 of the cyclone body 110 by biasing upwardly in the inverse order of the above description.
However, in the filter cleaning device 150 of the conventional cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus 100, in case the amount of filtered dust on the outside of the filter 130 is excessive, there is the problem of the movement of the dust removal ring 151 being interrupted and thus the function thereof being depreciated. In this case, there is the inconvenience of the user having to remove the filtered dust on the outside of the filter 130 by hand and then cleaning the filter for the dust removal ring 151 to move smoothly.
Also in the filter cleaning device 150 of the conventional cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus 100 there is the complicated composition for elevating the dust removal ring 151 to the outer surface of the filter 130, namely the slider 161, locking lever 171 and the locker spring 181 must necessarily be provided and thus there is the problem of increase in manufacturing costs and causing difficulty in assembling and disassembling. In the filter cleaning device 150 of the conventional cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus 100, the guiding groove 157 for the vertical sliding of the slider 161 must be formed between the connection pipe 113 of the cyclone body 110 and the dust collection container 103 and thus causes more increase in cost from having to manufacture an expensive mold with complex geometries.